


New York Nights

by belivaird_st



Category: Carol (2015), The Price of Salt - Patricia Highsmith
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-03
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-07-06 04:42:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15878766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/belivaird_st/pseuds/belivaird_st
Summary: Abby brings Carol out of the house for a bit of jazz music and relaxation, but the only thing she thinks about is Therese.





	New York Nights

**Author's Note:**

> This is one of my old works from last year or so that I stumbled upon and wanted to post...

Madison Avenue, New York

_The Foxtail, 1953_

Abby watched Carol peer around the hazy, dimly-lit room as waiters moved along bringing out plates and drinks, nodding off to smiling, half drunk guests that were seated at their tables. Red velvet curtains were drawn open from the stage and the members - six handsome looking African-American men, all wearing shiny blue suits - were in the middle of performing their own cover version of “I Only Have Eyes For You.” The singer, an unknown former baseball player, went by the name of Ted Casey Robbins, or simply ‘Case’ as the girls liked to call him. Case Robbins sang with his mouth wide open, letting out a deep, rich baritone voice that spilled and mixed through the combination of piano, trumpets and brass cymbals. His hands were raised up as if he was trying to compromise with the Lord Himself. There came a few whistles and cheers from the audience. Some wisecracking slurs and just a couple of folks excusing themselves out of the building entirely.

Abby had invited both Carol and Therese to the Foxtail club tonight, but only got one of them to go. Therese had made such a fuss earlier and decided to stay home to work more on her photography. Carol was so disappointed and a little hurt when the younger woman insisted that she should go ahead and ‘have fun’ without her. Carol did, but she was anxious and a bit distracted so far in the evening.

“I wish you could just sit back and relax,” Abby spoke now. “Are you even listening to the music?”

“I’m sorry, darling,” Carol whipped her head back around and gave her old friend a weak smile. “I just keep thinking that maybe Therese changed her mind and decided to join us tonight.”

“Well, she hasn’t,” Abby softly pointed out. “She’s made her bed and wants to stay home and play with her pictures.”

Carol reached for her martini glass and stared on toward the stage. Case Robbins was now holding the mic with both hands, eyes closed. His forehead glistened with sweat from the bright hot stage lights. He was a good looking fellow in his mid-twenties. If she had been another girl, from another time, she’d probably swoon over the likings of Case in a heartbeat.

“Band’s great,” Carol finally commented. She took a sip of her dirty drink and felt the corners of her lips pull into a devilish smile.

“This is just what you need…” Abby had ordered a bowl of chocolate covered cherries and made Carol laugh as she offered one; grinning along as Carol leaned over and playfully bit the fruit off the stem with her teeth. Abby picked up a napkin and saw that Carol was no longer smiling, but was staring at something wide-eyed with fear from across the room. Twisting around in her chair, Abby saw Therese standing a few feet away from their table, her coat draping over crossed arms; her eyes brimming with angry tears. The girl took off so quickly that she bumped into a waiter who almost dropped his tray of shrimp cocktails. 

“ _Therese!_ ” Carol called out, but her voice was drowned from over the sounds of blaring horns and fingers sliding along the smooth tinkering set of piano keys.

Carol rushed out of the club without her purse or jacket and felt an unpleasant crisp slap of the cool late summer night air. “Therese! Wait!” she ran through the sidewalk in her high heels and was afraid she would trip and fall breaking her neck in the process. Therese kept walking in good distance ahead, but slowed down. “Baby, please, just let me explain,” Carol pleaded. She stumbled on a wide crack in the pavement but caught herself and felt so humiliated and furious at the same time.

“I saw you,” Therese muttered. “I saw both of you…” she wiped tears away that were rolling down her cheeks and wouldn’t look at Carol, who was now collecting her in her arms, shaking her hard to make eye contact.

“We didn’t do anything, do you understand me?” Carol took the tip of Therese’s chin with her acrylic fingers and tried meeting her eyes, but Therese stubbornly jerked away from her grip and glared at the ground, lips trembling. “Goddammit Therese, I love you! Don’t think for one second that I have any feelings for Abby, because it’s not true! She’s my best friend, but you’re more than that! Oh darling, could you please just look at me…?” Carol’s voice cracked and was on the brink of crying. Therese gazed up at her, lips pursed into a scowl.

“I-I only wanted for us to have a good time, alright?” Carol sniffled. “Abby’s been my friend much longer than you have. You have to accept her. She would never try to ruin our relationship… She’s not that kind of person.”

Therese didn’t say anything. She noticed how Carol’s mascara was ruined and now made her look sort of pathetic and clownish. She pictured Carol ten years younger and felt a bit intrigued.

“I’m happy you’re here, Therese,” Carol continued on. “What you saw back there… Abby was just fooling around…”

“Okay,” Therese answered. She watched Carol shiver and then quickly made the kind gesture of draping her own corduroy coat over the blond’s shoulders. That’s when they both walked back to the club together and went inside heading directly to the table where Abby sat alone with the half eaten bowl of cherries.

“We’re back,” Carol said, laughing nervously. She hugged Therese’s coat closer to her as she parked herself back in her chair. Therese sat down across from her on Abby’s right. She leaned back and took in the band as they were bowing onstage receiving a small round of applause. 

“It’s not over is it?” Therese questioned. She felt Abby’s eyes seize her up before snorting and shaking her head.

“They just announced one last number before calling it a night,” Abby explained. “Maybe if you didn’t make such an outburst you’d be enjoying with the rest of us…”

“I’m sure Case Robbins will sing for us again,” Carol said, grabbing her purse and checking to make sure she still had any cigarettes left. Their table fell silent now along with the rest of the guests who sat back in their seats and watched and listened to the band break into a fast, bright jazzy tune called ‘Goodnight Man, Goodnight Moon.’

**xxxx**


End file.
